"It is a shame that in the 21st century there are still people living in streets in a very rich country like Belgium."

By Lee Mannion

LONDON, Jan 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When a homeless friend told Xavier Van der Stappen that rough sleepers cherish large cardboard boxes because they offer not only shelter but also a place to hide from the shame of living on the street, he decided to act.

Using cardboard donated by a local factory, Van der Stappen worked with designers to produce 20 portable cardboard tents, which homeless people are using on the streets of the Belgian capital during the cold winter.

"There are homeless people everywhere. When I saw them, it made me remember refugee camps in Africa," said Van der Stappen, the man behind the ORIG-AMI project.

"It is a shame that in the 21st century there are still people living in streets in a very rich country like Belgium."